In January, Year 4 asked for somewhere outside to read. By June they’d designed, costed and built it themselves.
A project, not a present
We could have bought benches. Instead the class turned the idea into a term’s work. They measured the corner in maths, drew plans in art, wrote to the board for a budget in Danish and English, and learned which plants survive a Danish winter in science.
What they made
The garden has six log seats, a willow tunnel and raised beds of lavender and mint, picked because they smell good when you brush past. A weatherproof box holds forty books, chosen by vote.
“The tunnel is the best bit,” says Nils, aged nine. “You can’t hear anyone in there.”
Open to everyone
The reading garden is open to every class at break. Year 4 have written the rules, which mostly come down to whispering and putting the books back.
